Fuel-feeder for furnaces.



I WITNESSES D. F. NISBET. FUEL FEEDER FOR FURNACES. APPLIQATION FILED JUNE 25, 1908.

Patented Jan.19,1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1 VE N 795 @wm d We AEOHNE? D. F. NISBET. FUEL FEEDER FOR FURNACES.

. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 25, 1908. 910,305, Patented Jan. 19, 1909.

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B suwmumw c INVENTOH @m a a mt v BY f A p zfflofi WITNESSES D. F. NISBET. I FUEL FEEDER FOR FURNACES.

910,305. AVPPLIOATION FILED JUNE 25, 1908. 19 l\ 4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

HIIIIIII' WITNESSES v INVENTOR v BY "'"zvfr'mv' y INVENTOR @az/ d A (Vi 1726a: A TTORNEY Patented J an. 19. 1909.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. Jan. 19,1909.

I Application filed June .25, 1208. Serial in. 440,263.

To all whom it may concern:

--Be it known that 1, DAVID F. Nrsnn'r, re-

in Wilkinsburg, in the county of Alleg eny', State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Fuel-Feeders, for Furnaces, of which the following spepification, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full and concise description.

My invention relates to improvements in the type of fuel feeding devices usually classed as underfeed stokers, and though primarily designed for use with direct coalfired metallurgical furnaces, it is readily adaptable to boiler furnaces or any other ggy invention consists broadly 1n the method of feeding fuel to furnaces in such manner that; the fuel will be massed in front of. the burning or the zone of the grate and supplied at such locality with a suitable quantityof oxygen in order that the hydrocarbons m such mass will be distilled and mixed with the oxygen and constitute auiriliary fuel in the fire zone to the heat generated from the fixed carbons.

My invention also consists in such a disposition of the essential parts of the fuel feeding device as to permit of supplying the oxygen necessary for supporting the combustion of the hydrocarbons and fined carbons separately and independently, giving each their due proportion at the proper instant and in a proper manner, and at the same time feeding the coal to the furnace continuously in such quantity as shall just correspond to the rate of combustion, the feed and air supply being at'all times under easy control. lso, in so. arranging the parts that the fuel is fed progressively forward and down the fixed grates to ash pit below, thus eliminating the difficulty inherent in stokers of this class, of keeping the fire clean.

Itis also desirable, in operating re-heating and other metallurgical furnaces to be able to regulate the rate of combustion at the various points across the furnace hearth, so that the heating effect may be uniform throughout the heating chamber. 1 accomlish this desideratum by making the fuel eeder in units, usin more or less units nothe quantity of fuel supplied and amount of air admitted to the fire.

to the widt of the furnace, eachbelng independently regulatable both as to Refenring to the drawings, Figure 1 is an end elevation of a re-heating' furnace, showing three units of the fuel feeder, applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation on line a. a. of Fig. 1, showing the relations of the fuel feeder, shelf plate, grates, ash pit, etc. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on line b. b. Fig. 1, showing the pockets and three units in plan. Fig. 4 is an enlarged elevation of the fuel feeder. Fig. 5 is a logitudinal cross section. Figs. 6 and 7 are transverse cross sections, showing ratchet plate and fuel regulating device. Fig. 8 is a horizontal cross section on line 03. cl. cl. d. d. of Fig. 7 showing ratchet plate and operating pawl. Fig. 9 is a side elevation and partial section of the screw conveyor. Fig. 10 is an end elevation showing the ratchet plate. Fig. 11 is anelevation of the vibrattrig arm for operating the screw conveyor. Fig. 1 2 is a section otthe vibrating arm on line f. f. of Fig. 12. Fig. 18 is a longitudinal cross section of the cover plate, hollow spindle and twyer on line 6. e. of Fig. 14:. Fig. 14 is an elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 13 showing the face and openings of the twyer. Fig. 15 is an elevation of the regulating plate. Fig. 16 is a plan view of same. Fig. 17 is an elevatibn of the pawl for operating the ratchet plate, and Fig. 18 is a plan of the pawl.

Describing the mechanism and operation of. my fuel feeder, reference being had to one unit only -3 is a hopper to which is affixed at the lower end, an annular casing 4:, partially open at the top and communicating with the hopper, one end of which is flanged for fastening to the furnace, of which 1 is the fire box having the doors -2, and the other end terminating in a recess for containing the operating mechanism. The cover plate 9, is rigidly bolted to the casing 4. Extending from the cover plate 9, concentric With the casing 4, is a hollow spindle 7, securely fastened to the'cover 9, turned on its outer surface to receive the worm 5 and the ratchet plate 6. To the inner end of the hollow spindle is attached the twyer 8, the worm 5, and ratchet plate 6. The worm conveyor 5 is bhred so as to revolve freely on the hollow spindle 7 and between the hub of the worm conveyor and the hub of the cover plate 9 there are inter osed ball bearing rin 16 for eliminating t is friction causedby orcing the fuel into the furnace.

0n the hub of the cover 9 which carries the hollow spindle], is placed a vibrating arm-r lever 13 which is journaled on the cover 9, and is free to oscillate, and carries the pawl or dog 14 which is held in contact 6 with the ratchet plate by the spiral spring 24: Fig.- 8. To the lower end of the vibrating lever 13 is attached a reciprocating bar 22 (Fig. 1), which is supported by the links 23-23 Fig. 1, and operated by any suitable means, as for instance, a revolving crank or a steamc linder. The reciprocations of the 'bar '22 attached to the arms 13, causes the pawl 14 to give to the ratchet plate 6 and conveyer worm 5, an intermittent rotary 15 motion. This motion, however, would cause all the fuel feeders to supply fuel equally, but since it is desirable to control the feed of each unit independently, I use the regulating plate 15 in' the following manner: Oneend of the plate 15 is pivoted to the casing 4 and the other end is confined in a notched slot inthe segment '25. The plate 15 is provided with a latch block 26 which fits intothe notches in and is held 25 in place by thespring-27. The plate 15 is provided with a series of steps, marked in Fig. 7 'g. kflc. 1., and the notches i n the se cut 25.)". 'g". k. kl. Z. If the latch block 26 were in the notch f in the segment 30 25, the top edge of the plate 15 would be just below the periphery of the ratchet plate 6 permitting the pawl 14- to move the ratchet plate 6-the entire distance subtended by the are due to the movement of the arm 13, (as

' for instance, four teeth on the plate 6). If

the plate 15 were raised to the notch g the .step 9'. would be interposed. between the pawl 14 and the ratchet plate 6 so as to prevent the awl from droppinginto the 40 last tooth and therefore, the ratchet plate 6 would only move a distance equal'to the pitch of three teeth. With the latch of the plate 15 in the position shown at h the ratchet plate will move but two teeth; when in 70' but one t0oth,'and When in the position of Z the paw1'14 will drag over the plate 15 without moving the ratchet plate 6 or conveyer Worm 5, thus giving the attendant com lete control over the amount of fuel fed 1nto the furnace by each unit.

Air, for supporting the combustion of the hydrocarbons, is admitted under pressure from a -fan or other source of. supply, through the blast main 11 and wind box 10,

in which is a regulating slide 12, to the hol l'ow spindle 7 and twyer 8 'i"-In o erating'my fuel feeder the hopper 3 is fill with coal of such fineness as' i'will readily. pass by gravity to the c onvyer casing 4, and surrounding the conveyor worm 5 which, when operated through media of the pawl 14=arm l3 and reciprocating bar 22, by reason of the action of -the screw con-- veyer will cause the coal to be forced into the pockets 21, Fig. 3, and on the shelf 17,

The advantages of my invention will be where, by reason of the upward-inclination 'of the inner portion of the shelf, the coal will be forced to rise and pile itself up in front of the pocket 21, and at the same time the diverging sides of the twyer 8 will cause the coal to spread laterally, and where more than one fuel' feeder is used in a furnace, join the coal of the adjacent pocket, making a continuous line or pile of coal across the entire fire box ofthe furnace. When the firc in the furnace is in full action the hydrocarbons contained in the-coal will be distilled at a line approximately coinciding with a line projectedvfrom, and parallel with the top surface of the grate bar 20, continued to the wall of the furnace over the pockets 21, and the air, in such amount as may be determined by the position of the regulating slide 12 in the Wind box 10, passing through the hollow spindle 7 to the twyer 8, where,

because of the shape and disposition of the openings in the twyer, the air is compelled to spread and permeate the entire mass of coal in front of the pocket, and will be brought into intimatecontact with the volatile gases at the point of dissociation, the mixture of gas and air being projected through the mass of incandescent coals above and. beyond the zone of dissociation, heating the mixture to the point of ignition, wholly consuming the hydrocarbons and partially consuming the fixed carbons. The continuous operation of the fuel feeder will ultimately over fill the capacity of the shelf-17, when the partially consumed coal will be forced over the apex formed by the shelf and inclined grates, by the action of the conveyer Worm assisted by the force of gravity progressing downward on the inclined grates 20, which are supported by the "05 carrier bars 18 and 19, where the combustion of the fixed carbons will be continued and completed, finally passing over the lower end of the grates to the pit 24 below, in the form of ash. In the second stage where the fixed carbons .are burned on the grates 20, the requislte ox gen to support combustion can be furnishe either by natural draft, or by introducing a blast under pressure below the grates as circumstances'may require.

The small doors 22 in the fire box 1 permit'the attendant to observe the condition of the fire at all times.

appreciated by those skilled in the art, as the ap aratus issimple durable, and easily contro ed with nomov ng parts exposed to the fire.

Having described my invention, 1 claim- 1L Iii combination with a furnace a fuel feeder'comprising a hopper; a casing afiixed thereto, and communicating therew th, one end ofsaid casing openin into the furnace chamber. insubstantial a inement with the upper ends of inclined grate bars and pro- 130 mass vided at its 0 posits or outer end with a grate bars, and are supplied with a requisite quantity of oxygen for combustion indeendentl of the supply for-burning the ed car I one.

2. In combination with a furnace provided with inclined grate bars, a fuel feeder comprising .a gravity hopper; a casing affixed to the lower extremity of the hopper and communicating therewith and closed at its outer end by a cover; a hollow spindle centrally disposed in said casing and aflixed at one end to the casing cover and terminating at its inner 'end in a pocket in the front wall of the furnace in front of the grate bars and perforated at its inner end; a screw'conveyer rotatably mounted upon the hollow spindle; means for supplyin air to the hollow spindle; and means or rotating the screw conveyer substantially as hereinbefore set forth. 1

3. in combination with a furnace a fuel feeder comprising a hopper; a casing afixed to said he per and communicating therewith; a hollow spindle centrally disposed in said casing and affixed at one end to the outer face of said casing and terminating at the opposite or inner end in the furnace chamber; a screw conveyer rotatably mounted upon the hollow spindle and provided with a ratchet plate at its outer end; a vibrating arm journaled u on the outer face or cover of the casing an providedwith a "pawl adapted to engage with the ratchet plate; meansfor vibrating said arm, and a notched or stepped plate coiiperating with said arm for controlling the relation of the pawl with the ratchet plate substantially as and for the urpose set forth.

4. In com ination with a furnace a fuel feeding device comprising a hopper, a casing connected to and communicating therewith, a cover at the outer end of said casin and provided with a centrally disposed ho low air conveying spindle; a screw conveyer rotatably mounted upon the hollow air spindle and provided-with a ratchet plate at its outer end; a vibrating arm provided with a awl adapted for engagement with the rate et plate; a notched or stepped plate for controllm the relation of the pawl with the ratchet p ate; and means for holding said notched or stepped plate in difierent positions of adjustment.

5. In combination with a furnace a fuel feeding devicecomprising a hopper, a casing connected thereto and communicatm therewith, a hollow air spindle connects with thecasing and a screw conveyer rotatably mounted upon said spindle; a recess or pocket in the furnace in advance of the grate bars and wherein the fuel will mass in front of the inner end of the air conveying spindle substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. In combination with a furnace a fuel feeder comprisin a hopper and casing such as described; a hollow air spindle secured to the casing and witha screw conveyor rotatably mounted thereon; means for operating and controlling the screw conveyer and means for supplying air to the hollow spindle; an inclined shelf intermediate the inner termini of the hollow spindle and screw conveyer and .front end of the grate, whereby the fuel conveyed by the conveyor is caused to mass itself in front of the air supply conducted through the hollow spindle, substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth,

7. In combination with a fiurnace a fuel feeding device comprising a hopper; a casing connected to and communicating with said hopper; an. air conveying spindle at-' spindle afiixed thereto, a screw conveyer mounted on thehollow spindle, a ratchet plate affixed to said screw conveyer, a vibrating arm carrying a pawl journaled on said cover, the pawl adapted to engage the ratchet plate, and a notched or stepped plate pivoted at one end on the casing for the screw conveyor and the other end in a notched segment which will hold said plate in different positions of adjustment.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

DAVID F. N1 SEE T.

Witnesses:

ERNEST Fnancxa, F. S. NISBET. 

